Vehicle bumper



May l, 1928.

A. WEILAND vEn-ICLE BUMPER Filed laren 18. 192e;y

Patented May Il, E1928.

UNITED STATES I 1,668,096 PATENT oFFic-E.

ALFRED WEILAND, F NESHANIC, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 :PNEUMATICI APPLI- ANCES COBEORA'I'IOL'I", 0F NEW YORK,l N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

VEHICLE BUMPER.

Application mea March 18,1926. serial No. 95,636.

The present invention relates to vehicle bumpers and more particularly to a combined spring and cushion bumper.

Some of the objects of. the present invention are to provide an improved shock absorbing bumper; to provide means for re- -ceiving the direct im act of a blow and trans-l mitting the shock o such impact materially lessened to 'an auxiliary cushioning element orfelements to further absorb the shock lin order to prevent damage to the vehicletol which the bumper is attached; to provide means for supplementing the action of a spring bar typeA of bumper whereby impact shocks are reduced to a minimum before reaching the vehiclel frame; to provide an improved bumper formed of two different but .co-operating shock absorbing devices; and to provide other improvements as will hereina ter appear.

In the accompanying drawings Fig 1 represents a front elevation of a bumper embod ing one form of the present invention; ig. 2 represents a plan of the same; Fig. 3 represents a section' on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the present in- ,vention consists of two impact bars 10 and 11 arranged in superposed edge tov edge relation but n spaced one from the other. These bars are preferably made of spring steel to act as resilient shock resisting'means, and this resilient property is increased by. the generally bowed contour of the bars due to the rearwardly curved end portions 12. The juxtaposed ends of the bars 10 and 11 are formed with eyes 13 and 14 to receive fastening bolts 15, one for each pair of the aforesaid eyes, and the construction is such' that the bar Ieyes are free .to turn relatively to the bolts 15. w-

For supporting the impact bars '10 and. 111 the present form of the'invention employs two rear bars 16 and 17 located substantiallyv in a plane arallel to the main or body ortion of t e impact bars 10 and 11 and astened respectively at their outer ends to .p the fastening bolts 15,` and at their inner ends respectively to ri id arms-18 for connection tothe frame of t e vehicle upon which the bumper is to be mounted. The, rear bar 16 is provided with an eye 20 to receive the bolt 15 and the eye 2() seats snugly butrelatively movable between. the upper and lower eyes of the impact bars on that particular bolt 15.- In the samemanner the bar 17 has 'an eye 21l similarly mountedjwith respect to the other bolt 15.

For the purpose of supplementing the ab-,

comprisingr a body of rubber or any other .suitable resilient `material provided witha chamber 23 preferably containing air which is compressed therein during the molding-of the aforesaid body. .Generally the vertical dimensions of the body correspond substantially with the width of the bumper as con- 'sidered transverse to the impact bars 10 and 11 and the space therebetween. Preferably in the molding of vthe vbody'22 a boss 24 is formed at the front to fit snugly between the impact bars 10 and 11, while at the rear a recess 25 'is formed to provide a 'seat for the rear bar, either 1G or 17 in the present case according to which body 22 yis being considered.

Also in the molding of the body 22 provision is made for re-enforcing the side structure of the body and for making it "fast in operating position by molding a metal plate 26 iu the front walll together with a fastening stud 27 and molding a second metal plate 30 in the'rear wall also with `a fastening stud 31. The stud 27 projects through the boss 24 to receive a clamping plate 32 to be held by the stud nut 33, and the length of the plate 32 is such Aas to overlap the front faces of the two impact bars 10 and 11. The stud 31 projects rearwardly through the recess 25, traversing successively the adjacent bumper rear `bar and the outwardly turned end ofthe connecting ann 18, where it terminates in a washer 34 and nut 35.

From the foregoing construction .it will b e seen that the impact bars 10 and 11 have a central and two endportions substantially unrestricted for llexing under impacts. while `at points substantially in alignment respectivelywith the sides of, the vehicle frame auxiliary bracing and absorption members vare utilized to exert a more positive yielding los resistance to the impacts transmitted from the bars land 11. Thus the general effect of a shock is to cause its initial thrust to be taken up by the bars 10 and 11, while further` shock producing thrust is transmitted to the expansible membersI 22 and there absorbed by lateral distention caused by the compression of the medium molded into the chambe 23.v Furthermore, since theimpact bars lrnd 11`are intermediately connected to rigid supports by flexible shock resisting means, it is evident that provision is made for lateral yielding ofone part of the bumper with respect to another so that end or laterally received impacts are also effectively absorbed. `Another important advantage of the present construction contributing to the desired end is that the pneumatic cushion structure not only lcausesfthe impact to be Gradually absorbed but allows extreme deection of the impact bars without dan er -of the bars taking a permanent set. n

other words, the impact bars always ieturn lto their original shape and position and deformation under impacts does not occur.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle frame, a bumper impact bar of spring material arranged to extend across an end of a vehicle,-

means connecting the ends of said impact bar to said vehicle frame, and a pauI of pneumatic members interposed between said impact bar and said connecting-means whereb shocks to said impact bar are gradually a sorbed.

. 2. In'combination with a vehicle frame, a` pair of impact bars arranged in superposed eedge to edge relation and having rearwardly edge to edge relation and having rearwardly curved ends respectively, supports carried by said vehicle frame, means connecting said supportsy with the ends of said im act bars, a pair of pneumatic members, an separate means for respectively clam ing opposite sides of said members to sai impact bars and to said connecting means.

matic member connected between each rear bar and said impact bars. Y

5. In combination with a -vehicle frame,

a pair of impact bars arranged in su erposed edge to edge relation to provi e a space therebetween, said bars having rearwardly curved ends respectively, bolts connecting the juxtaposed ends of said bars, a rear bar connected to each bolt between the ends of said impact bars, bars connected to the free ends respectively of said rear bars and mounted on said vehicle frame, a pneumatic member interposed between each rear bar and said impact bars, said members having a portion projecting.; between said impact bars,'and astening means for attaching said members to said impact bars and to said rear bars.

6. A bumper for vehicles comprising a rear bar construction arranged tombe su ported 'on a vehicle,.an impact bar, cus tioning rubber operatively associatedy with said rear bar construction to resiliently rcsist movement of said rear bar construction `toward and away from said impact bar, and 

